The Golden Pyramid
by whoopsidaisies
Summary: Emily's godson has nightmares of his past life. His revelation of knowing the location of hidden treasure makes him a target for hoodlums. Paige, a private investigator, is asked to protect him. Will she be able to save the boy?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I am back! And I am truly sorry for not updating The Runway for over a year. Life and writer's block have been the main reasons for the lack of updates. But I have finally started writing again. Although I haven't written anything regarding The Runway yet but I needed to get this plot idea out of my head first. I know its not much of an opening chapter in terms of length but I will try and write longer chapters once I get my writing groove back. But for now any reviews regrading this story would be welcome!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1:**

"Lo! Lo! Bevakash **a!"**

Emily woke up when she heard Daniel's incessant whimpering next to her. This was the third night in a row that this happened. And once again she had no idea why this was happening to Daniel.

It all started about two weeks ago. Daniel had come to Boston to spend his summer break with her. Ever since that fateful nigh 5 years ago when Spencer and Toby died in a car accident, Emily had taken it upon herself to be as involved as she could be in her godson's life. Even though Melissa and Ian had legal custody of Daniel, she made it a point to be with Daniel whenever she could. So when Melissa proposed that she could take Daniel with her during the summer break, she pounced at the opportunity.

But when she went to the airport to pick up Daniel, she immediately realized that something about Daniel was different. He wasn't the same 7 year old boy she had spent Christmas with just a couple of months ago. Melissa had smiled sweetly and said that he was just tired from the flight. What surprised Emily even more that Melissa simply handed Daniel over to Emily and whisked off to catch her flight back to London.

On their way back home from the airport, Emily kept trying to get Daniel to talk to her but the little boy barely said more than a few words. It wasn't until it was bedtime that Emily started to get seriously suspicious. The 7 year was almost afraid to go to sleep in the room Emily had especially designed for him. The little boy had previously loved the room. The sports car bed. The 'Hey Arnold' wallpaper. The glow in the dark 'King Julien' poster. Everything that Daniel loved, Emily had put in the room, so his reluctance to sleep there was baffling her.

Emily decided that since Daniel was tired she would let him sleep in her bed for the night and would try to get him to sleep in his own bed from the next night. It started sometime around midnight. Initially it was just quite whimpers and then all of a sudden Daniel started talking in his sleep. However, he wasn't talking in language that Emily understood or even recognized. Emily had called Melissa the next morning and told her what happened. She was shocked to learn that it wasn't the first time Daniel had talked in his sleep.

From then onward the quite whimpers and sleepy mumbles had gradually progressed to screaming and crying. But Daniel was always reluctant to talk about whatever it was that he was dreaming about.

"LO! LO!"

It seemed that Daniel was having a particularly violent nightmare tonight. Emily tried to wake him up.

"Danny! Sweety wake up! Everything is alright!"

Daniel woke up with a start and immediately curled himself into Emily and started crying.

'It's okay sweety. You're safe with me.'

"He was whipping me Emmy!" sobbed the little boy. "He wouldn't stop!". The 7 year old was not crying hysterically. "Why wouldn't he stop?"

"Oh baby! Who? Who was whipping you?"

"I don't know. He wore funny clothes."

"Danny, there's no one here. It's just you and me. I promise I won't let anyone hurt you."

"Really?"

"Really. Now can you trying going back to sleep sweety?"

"Yeah" sniffled the little boy.

"Love you baby. Now go to sleep." Emily kissed His forehead and tucked him into bed and watched him slowly drift off to sleep. But she couldn't help wondering for the rest of the night who was the man Daniel was talking about. Why was he having nightmares about being whipped? Why was he talking in some other language in his sleep? Where did he learn the language from? Emily wanted answers and she knew who to go to for help.

* * *

"Paige it's been months since your last case. Have you finally decided to quit?" Caleb asked from his place on the armchair.

"There isn't anything challenging enough for me to pursue."

"What about Mrs Hardwood's case? Her diamond necklace is missing and the Boston Police Department have not been able to find it yet?"

"It's an insurance fraud. Mr Hardwood needs the insurance money to clear off his debts."

"Ohkay! How about Mr Combs? He believes his wife is cheating?"

"She is. With his best friend. Who also happens to be Mr Combs' secret boyfriend."

"Whoa! What!? Okay okay! Mrs Richards said her daughter is missing?"

"Felicity Richards ran away from home with her boyfriend is now currently in Florida. She is 18 and therefore, an adult."

"If you have already solved these cases, why can't you simply tell the clients the same and get paid for it?!"

"Because none of these cases are challenging enough."

"Paige if you keep rejecting cases then we are soon going to be homeless! How am I supposed to ask Hanna to marry me if I don't even have a home to live in?!"

"Okay! Alright! The next case that comes I'll take it. No matter how silly or unbelievable it may sound. Are you happy now?"

"Yes! Thank you!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: There is good news and bad news. Bad news is I am sick and am not quite sure what I have written. I do not have the energy to re-read what is written and so I apologize for any typos (and probably for this overall crappy chapter), grammatical and spelling errors. Good news is if I continue to remain sick I may just be able to update another chapter. Maybe even update 'The Runway' (cause being sick = no going to work and so a lot of time to write). So anyway, enjoy the chapter (at least try to) and let me know what you think of it.**

 **Chapter 2:**

A few days later, after dropping off Daniel at Hanna's apartment, Emily headed to Dr Suvillian's office. She had first met Dr Suvillian at the Wounded Warrior's Fundraiser a couple of years ago. The doctor was renowned for her work with soldiers suffering from PTSD. Emily, herself, had often recommended her physical therapy patients to enlist Dr Suvillian's services. Walking into her office, Emily was greeted by the receptionist and asked to go in as the doctor was expecting her.

"Emily! It's so good to see you again. How have you been?"

"It's good to see you too Ann. I am fine. How are you doing?"

"I am fine too. So what brings you to my office today?"

"Well….I am not really sure how to talk about it…"

"There is no hurry….take your time…."

"Daniel has been having nightmares. He wakes up almost every night crying and screaming that he is being whipped by some man. Ian and Melissa aren't my most favourite people but I know they wouldn't hurt him like that and there aren't any bodily signs of physical abuse either. Melissa said that he has been having these nightmares for a while now. They had taken him to a therapist back in London but he wasn't able to decipher what the issue was. I am not sure what to do!?"

"That's interesting. Besides the whipping, has he said anything else about his dreams?"

"He said that the man whipping him wore funny clothes. Something like a skirt. And he spoke in some weird language. In fact, when Daniel has these nightmares and he starts screaming at night, he speaks in some language I have never heard before."

"Would it be possible for you to bring Daniel to meet me? I think it would be easier for me to understand why this is happening if I spoke to him directly."

"I could do that. In fact I can bring him tomorrow."

* * *

Dr Suvillian greeted Emily and Daniel at the door when they walked in the next morning. After the pleasantries had been done away with the doctor started to question the little boy.

"So Daniel, Emily tells me that you have been having some bad dreams of late. Do you think you can tell me a little bit about them?"

Daniel looked around the room uncomfortably, not really willing to discuss his nightmares with a complete stranger. Emily sensing his discomfort gently wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

"It's okay Danny. Dr Suvillian is just trying to help but if you don't want to talk about it then you don't have to. But if you can then maybe we can help stop the bad dreams."

"But I am scared Emmy."

"Don't be baby. I am right here with you and I promise I won't let anything happen to you."

Sensing that the little boy may be ready to talk about his nightmares, Dr Suvillian speaks up, "Emily has already told me a little about your dreams, can you tell me when you started having these dreams Daniel?"

"I am not sure. But sometime after Christmas, I think."

"Had anything happened during Christmas? Did you see a scary movie? Did someone tell you a scary story?"

"No."

"Has anyone ever tried to hurt you? Anyone at home or at school maybe?"

"No."

"Do you have any hobbies? Do you like to draw?"

"Yeah."

"Can you draw me something from your dream?"

"I can try."

"That's great Daniel. I'll get you some crayons and paper."

After Daniel was done drawing, he handed it over to Emily. There was a simple yellow coloured triangle drawn in the middle of the page.

"Is that a triangle Daniel?"

"Yes."

"Why did you draw that?"

"Cause I saw it in my dreams."

"Okay Daniel. Why don't you wait outside while I talk to Emily?"

As soon as Daniel left, Emily started to anxiously question Dr Suvillian.

"So any idea why he is having the nightmares? I mean nothing he said seems to indicate that anything significant happened that could have caused them, right?"

"You're right. He doesn't seem to be repressing any sort of emotion or physical abuse that he may have faced which could have caused the nightmares."

"So then what do we do now?"

"A colleague of mine, Professor Gottesman, is an expert on dream analysis. Maybe you and Daniel should visit him. Maybe he can help."

* * *

"Past life regression. It's a technique in which we use hypnosis to delve into a person's memories of their past life", said Professor Gottesman.

After Dr Suvillian recommended that Emily seek Professor Gottesman's help, she had called the professor and explained her dilemma to him. They visited him the following day and after speaking to Daniel, the professor suggested that his dreams maybe memories of a past life.

"Are you insane?! His dreams are memories of his past life?! You actually expect me to believe that? How the hell did you manage to become a Professor? And to top it all, you want to hypnotise a 7 year old boy?!"

Emily's outburst at his suggestion startled the timid professor. "Miss Fields, I assure you I do not intend to harm Daniel in any way. The hypnosis is merely a suggestion that could help us understand the cause behind his nightmares. You can be here with him the entire time and if at any point you feel I should stop then tell me and I will."

The professor's sincere words made Emily consider the suggestion. No one had yet been able to provide her with any explanation behind Daniel's dreams. Professor Gottesman's theory, however bizarre, seemed to be the only explanation they had. After much contemplation she finally agreed.

"I can't believe I am agreeing to this but if at any time I think that this hypnosis crap of yours isn't helping Danny, then you're going to stop instantly. Is that clear?"

"Crystal!"

* * *

"Can you hear me Daniel?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell me where you are?"

"In a desert."

"What are you doing in the desert?"

"Working."

"What kind of work?"

"I have to drag the big stones."

"Are you building something?"

"We are building a tomb."

"We? Are there others with you?"

"Yes. There are many of us here. We all have to drag big stones. If we don't work properly, then the master will whip us."

As soon as Daniel says this, he starts to scream and cry. When the professor tries to calm him down, he starts to thrash about. Emily had been watching this entire conversation unfold before her in dumbfound silence. As soon as Daniel became hysterical, she to rushed to his side.

"Danny it's okay, You're alright. I am right here."

Hearing Emily's voice, Daniel broke out f his hypnotic trance.

"Emmy! It's the golden pyramid! We have to go there! Take me there!"

"The golden what?!" asked Emily flabbergasted.

"The golden pyramid Emmy! We have to go there!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Two updates in two days. I am on a roll!Read and review. Pretty please!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3:**

It has been a week since the incident in Professor Gottesman's office. It has also been a week since Daniel couldn't stop talking about the golden pyramid. It wasn't just his dreams anymore; he would talk about it all the time. Like he could vividly remember every detail of his past life.

Past life? Emily was still finding it hard to believe that Daniel's nightmares were his memories of another life. Could that even be possible? She wasn't sure anymore. But what she did know was that Daniel's desire to go to the golden pyramid was getting increasingly out of control. He didn't eat properly. Didn't sleep. Emily adored her godson and it was breaking her heart to see him in this state.

"Are you sure that he didn't just read a book on ancient Egypt and is making the whole thing up?" asked Hanna.

"No Han. I am not saying I understand what is going on but I know that Daniel isn't making this up."

"What did Dr Suvillian say?"

"She said to show him pictures of pyramids. Take him to the Egypt exhibit at the museum. See how he reacts."

"How did he react?"

"He freaked out. Made the nightmares worse. Hanna I really don't know what to do. I can't see him like this."

"I know Em. Maybe..."

"Maybe what?"

"This may be a bit of an atypical suggestion..."

"Hanna nothing about this situation is typical. Right now I am just about ready to do anything."

* * *

"When I said I was just about ready to do anything I didn't mean I am ready to go to my ex for help Hanna!" Emily protested while they walked towards the cafe where they were supposed to meet Paige and Caleb.

"Oh sushh! You and I both know that if anyone can help us get to the bottom of this, it's Paige. I mean that woman is smart. Like Spencer smart. Maybe even more."

"We broke up over a year ago. And when I say broke up, I mean she dumped me. At a time when I was thinking we could finally settle down and have a future together, she was thinking of leaving me."

"Emily, I know this is hard for you, but this isn't about you. It's about Danny. If Paige can truly help, don't you at least want to give it a try?"

"Ahghhhh! Fine! Let's go!"

* * *

"Did Hanna tell you why she wanted to see me?" Paige asked while sipping on her black coffee as she and Caleb waited for Hanna to arrive at the cafe.

"Yeah...kinda..."

Caleb's hesitance made the alarm bells go off in Paige's head.

"What aren't you telling me?" Paige asked sternly.

"Well...it's actually about Daniel"

"Daniel? Wait...Daniel like Danny...Danny Cavanaugh?"

"Yeah..."

"What about him? Is he alright?"

"He's fine...look Paige I am not really sure what the deal is. Just that Hanna said it's important. Let them get here and they will explain it to you."

"They?!"

"Yeah...about that...ummm...Emily is coming too..."

"What?!"

"Paige come on! How can you be surprised about this! Daniel is her godson."

"Caleb I really don't think this is a good idea." Paige said while getting up from her seat. "I mean I - "

Before Paige could protest any further, Caleb cut her off, "Paige I know this isn't easy. And I totally understand why you did what you did. But that's in the past now. I know you still love her. I don't think you ever stopped. This could be a second chance for you guys."

"Caleb I broke up with her. Broke her heart. Didn't even tell her why. She doesn't love me anymore Caleb. She has no reason to."

"Love doesn't need a reason. I think you and I both know that no matter what happens, you two will never really stop loving each other."

"Caleb I don't – "

"Paige, if not for Emily then at least think of Daniel. You absolutely loved that little guy. Don't tell me those feelings have changed!"

"Of course not!"

"Hanna said that it was about Daniel and it was important. If you still care about him, then you will stick around."

"Ahghhh! Fine!"

* * *

When Hanna and Emily walked into the cafe, Paige could have sworn her heart skipped a beat. There she was. As magnificent as ever. Even when she was dressed in a simple black pencil skirt and dove grey blouse, she looked like she had just walked out of a fashion show. Effortlessly beautiful as always. Even after being apart for over a year, Paige couldn't control the effect Emily's mere presence had on her.

Emily for her part was equally mesmerised. She had only ever seen Paige in ripped jeans and t-shirts. So the white shirt with rolled up sleeves, tucked into the military green chinos was certainly a surprise. Pleasant surprise. Emily realized that she had been staring at Paige so she looked away, not wanting to get caught ogling her ex.

The two women walked over to the table that Paige and Caleb had occupied. They both stood up to welcome the approaching women. Hanna strode over to Caleb and greeted him with a peck on the lips.

"Hey baby! Hi Paige"

"Hi Hanna..Hi Emmily" Paige managed to catch herself at the last moment and stammered out her greeting. But Paige's cover up failed to fool Emily who instantly realised that Paige was about to address her with her nickname. She mentally cursed herself because her name on Paige's lips still made her breath hitch. Made her heart hammer in her chest. Made her stomach flutter. She had been weary of meeting Paige for this very reason. She knew that even though Paige had broken her heart, she had never truly moved on from her. She never could. She loved Paige. She always would but she couldn't say it to her. Not anymore. Paige didn't feel the same way about her. Cause if she did then she would never have left her. So she said the only thing she could say for now.

"Hi Paige".


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: Three for three! Although this may be the last spontaneous update as I will be going back to work tomorrow. But I will try and update on a weekly basis. On that note, thank you for all your well wishes and reviews (siophiefandom, warrior29 and all the guest reviewers). Hope you enjoy this chapter. It's has a bit of Paily flashback. And like always...read and review!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4:**

 **Over a year ago...**

 _"Paige? Honey, are you home?"_

 _This was Emily's favourite part of the day. Coming home to Paige. Walking into their living room, she saw Paige sitting on the couch. Blankly staring at the floor._

 _"Paige..." Emily sat down beside her and gently shook her._

 _At Emily's touch Paige finally ended the staring contest with the floor._

 _"Em? When did you get home?"_

 _"A couple of minutes ago. I called out to you, you didn't respond. Are you okay?"_

 _Paige didn't reply immediately. The silence seemed to be stretching for several minutes._

 _"Paige. You're scaring me. Is something wrong?"_

 _Paige took a deep breath and finally replied. "We need to talk."_

 _"About what?"_

 _"About us."_

 _"What about us?"_

 _"That we aren't working out anymore."_

 _Emily felt like she had just been sucker punched. Of all the things that she thought Paige could say to her, this wasn't one of them._

 _"What are you talking about Paige?"_

 _"Emily please. Let's not drag it out", Paige begged desperately._

 _"Drag it out! After everything that we have been through in the last 5 years. I waited for you. For 5 years. Every time you had to leave for your tours, I waited for you. I didn't know if you were going to come back to me but I waited for you. And now that you're finally back, that we can finally be together, you're telling me that it isn't working out?!"_

 _"I am sorry."_

 _"Is that it?! Is that all you have to say? That you're sorry?"_

 _"I don't know what else to say to you"._

 _"Why don't you start with giving me a real reason for this break up?"_

 _Paige got up started to walk towards the door. She needed to get out as soon as possible._

 _"I have already packed up my stuff. I am carrying some of them with me now. I'll send Caleb over tomorrow to pick up the rest."_

 _Emily followed her to the door._

 _"That's not what I asked Paige. Why are you breaking up with me? Did you meet someone else?"_

 _When Paige didn't respond she persisted with her questions._

 _"Did you sleep with someone? Are you in love with someone else?"_

 _On hearing the last question, Paige couldn't stop herself anymore._

 _"There's no one else. I am not in love with anyone else."_

 _"Do you still love me?"_

 _"Emily...please..."_

 _"No Paige! Answer me. Do you still love me?"_

 _"I am leaving." Paige yanked the door open, only to feel Emily wrap her arms around her and press her body to her back._

 _"Baby please don't go. Don't leave me. I love you." Paige could feel Emily's tears on her shoulder. She could feel her own tears welling up and threatening to spill. She needed to leave. Before her resolve broke. She had to go._

 _"I am sorry Em. Goodbye." And with that Paige moved out of Emily's arms. Got into her car and left._

* * *

 **Present day...**

"So...you want to tell them about the stuff with Danny, Em?"

Emily clearly her throat and began to explain her predicament.

"Daniel has been having nightmares of late. It's been bothering him for a while now. I took him to Dr Suvillian a couple of weeks ago. She said it didn't seem like the nightmares were triggered by something he may have been trying to repress. She gave me the contact details of a professor who specialized in dream analysis. She said he would be able to help." She paused, not knowing how to tell what happened next.

"Was he able to help Danny?" Paige asked.

The concerned tone in Paige' voice made her look into Paige's eyes, which showed how genuine her concern was. It made her heartache. The break up wasn't just hard for her. It was hard for Daniel too. He had adored "Paigey". Paige too had wanted to continue seeing him even after their break up. But Emily couldn't allow that. Maybe she was being selfish. Maybe she wasn't strong enough to see Paige anymore, knowing that if she did, she would probably beg her to take her back. But none of that mattered now. All that mattered was Daniel.

"Not really. I don't know actually."

"What do you mean?" asked Caleb.

"The professor said that his nightmares were memories of his past life." She said it in one breath.

"Huh?" "What?!" Caleb and Paige said simultaneously.

"Memories of his past life. That's what he said. He did some hypnosis stuff and Daniel started talking about it."

"Past life regression?" Paige asked.

"How did you know?" Emily asked surprised.

"I don't actually. I mean I don't know much. I have read about it briefly. It's a controversial technique, often considered a branch of parapsychology. There has never been any scientific evidence to substantiate the method."

"See I told you. She's smart." Hanna spoke up. But was instantly silenced when Emily's heel connected with her shin.

"Ummm...yeah...well...what happened during the hypnosis? Did it work?"

"I think it did. Danny said he was in some desert. He was dragging stones to build some tomb. That he would get whipped by a man wearing skirt if he didn't work."

"Slave" Paige said thoughtfully.

"What?" Emily asked perplexed.

"A slave in ancient Egypt. That's what he probably was. I mean I don't know really. It just seems like it" Paige stared mumbling.

"How do you know it was ancient Egypt? There are many ancient cultures where tombs were built for kings and important people." Emily asked, willing herself to ignore the fluttering in her stomach at the cute way in which Paige had been faltering.

"Well three things actually. He said he was in a desert. There aren't many civilizations that were discovered in deserts. In fact I can only think of two. The Indus Valley Civilization and the Egyptian Civilization. I don't think any tombs or burial sites were ever discovered in Indus Valley. So that just leaves ancient Egypt."

Paige paused and looked at Emily who subtly nodded to show that she was following her train of thoughts. So Paige continued.

"You said the man whipping him was wearing a skirt. Well a lot of hieroglyphics found craved in the walls of the temples and monuments in Egypt show that the men usually wore skirt like garments. Lastly, it is generally considered that whipping was a common form of punishment slave masters doled out to their slaves if they didn't perform to their expectation. So yeah...that's why I thought maybe it was Egypt. Am I wrong?"

Paige looked around to see three different expressions plastered on her friends faces. Caleb was staring at her with awe, Hanna was smiling like a Cheshire cat and Emily seemed astonished.

"See I told you. Spencer like smart!" Hanna squealed. "And don't you dare stamp me!" She warned.

Emily rolled her eyes at Hanna's antics. "I wasn't going to. And you're right. It was Egypt."

"Did Daniel tell you that or did you figure it out like Paige did?" Caleb asked.

"He didn't exactly tell me."

"So then how did you know?"

"After he woke up from the hypnosis, he said that he wanted to go see the golden pyramid." Stunned silence followed her words. She felt like she needed to say more but didn't know what.

"That's all he has been talking about lately. That he wants to go to the golden pyramid. He doesn't eat properly. Barely sleeps. I don't know what to do."

The desperation in Emily's voice made Paige's heart wrench. Without thinking, she placed her hand over Emily's and squeezed it.

"It's okay Em. We will figure it out." Realising a little too late what she had said and where her hand was, she quickly withdrew her hand and tried to cover up, "I mean Caleb and me, we will help you, however, we can, to figure this out. Would it be okay if I talked to Danny?" Paige stuttered out, internally cursing herself for not being able to control her emotions around Emily.

For a brief moment Emily felt her old Paige was back. The one that had loved her. Cared about her. But just as quickly she was gone, breaking her heart all over again.

"Thanks. Yeah you guys can come over tomorrow." She meekly whispered back.

The other couple silently watching this exchange couldn't help but feel sorry and angry at the ex-lovers. Sorry that two people who loved each other as much as they did should ever have had to spend any time apart from each other. Angry that even though they clearly still loved each other, neither was willing to accept that they were meant to be together.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Apologises for any spelling or grammatical mistakes. Thank you for the reviews (meektester866, siophiefandom and guests). Your reviews keep me going. Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5:**

After reaching home, Emily paid the babysitter and sat down beside Daniel who was busy drawing.

"Hey sweety! Whatcha drawing?"

"The golden pyramid," Daniel replied casually.

When Emily looked closely she noticed that it was indeed the same gold triangle he had drawn before in Dr Suvillian's office. However, this time there were trees and even some sort of water body in the picture. Instead of asking Daniel about the new additions, she decided to distract him.

"What do you say that I go make us some pasta and then we'll watch Madagascar together? All three movies?"

Daniel loved King Julian and Alex. She was sure that he would ditch his drawing if it meant he could watch the Madagascar trilogy. But Daniel didn't even seem t pay attention to her suggestion.

"Danny? Don't you want to watch Madagascar with me?"

"No" came the dismissive response. It surprised Emily. Daniel had never said no to Madagascar before.

"But why? You love those movies?"

At Emily's persistence Daniel finally snapped.

"I don't want to watch Madagascar! I want to go to the golden pyramid! You said you would take me there. Why aren't you taking me there?"

Daniel outburst was quite unexpected. Emily had always known the boy to be shy and sweet. In fact she had never even seen him have a temper tantrum before. Therefore, this sudden flare-up caught her completely off guard. But before she could respond, Daniel's attention had diverted back to his drawing. Emily realised that engaging him in any further conversation would be futile. She wished she could do something to help him. She really missed the old Danny.

* * *

" _Why do you have to go away Paigey?"_

 _The sad look on Daniel face broke Paige's heart. This was probably one of the worst parts of her job. Leaving her loved ones behind. Saying goodbye to Emily was tough but at least she understood why she was leaving. But how was she supposed to explain to a child why it was important for her to go on her tour of duty._

" _I'll try and come back soon."_

" _You promise?"_

 _Paige could feel a lump forming in her throat. She couldn't promise him that. She didn't know for sure if she would come back._

" _I promise I will try my best to come back to you. Okay?"_

 _This seemed to satisfy the little boy somewhat and he nodded slightly._

" _Okay."_

" _Can I get a hug now?"_

 _The young boy jumped into her waiting arms and wrapped his little arms tightly around her neck._

" _I'll miss you Paigey." He whispered in a shaky voice. It took all of Paige's will power to stop the tears welling up in her eyes from spilling._

" _I'll miss you too Danny boy." She whispered back._

 _Emily, who had been watching the entire scene unfold from the hallway, silently prayed that Paige would be able to keep her promise. Not only for Daniel's sake but her sake too._

* * *

Walking up the gravel pathway to Emily's house, Paige couldn't help the twinge she felt in her chest. This used to be her home too. She clearly remembered the day she and Emily had seen it the first time. They know instantly that this was the house they were meant to live their future lives in. But Paige had ruined that. She had walked out on their future. On their dreams.

 _Enough! I can't think about this anymore. I'm here for Danny and that's what I need to focus on._

Making her way to the front door, Paige almost took out her key to the house to unlock the door, realising at the last second that it would have been the most appropriate thing to do. She briefly wondered if Emily had changed the locks after she left. Sighing silently to herself, she knocked on the door.

When the door finally opened, Paige realised why she would never love anyone like she loved Emily. It wasn't the house that was special. It was Emily. Coming home to Emily. She could be living in a cardboard box and still be happy if it meant coming home to Emily. Cause wherever Emily was, her home would be. And she had been depraved of her home for over a year now. And Paige had no one else to blame but herself for that.

"Hey...ummm...do you want to come in? It's kind of chilly outside."

Emily's words brought her out of her thoughts. She realised that she had been mutely staring at her. Embarrassed, she simply dipped her head and nodded slightly and followed Emily back into the house.

* * *

Emily, for her part, had been on edge all morning. Paige was coming home.

 _She's not coming home. She's coming to meet Danny. And that too only cause I asked for her help. She's not coming back for me. But what if she still cares? What if she still has feelings for me? No...no...if she did she wouldn't have ever left me. But what if she had a reason? Then why didn't she tell me? No I'm just kidding myself. But what is..._

Emily's inner monologue was interrupted when she heard a knock on the front door. Taking a deep breath, she got up to open the door, only for her breath to hitch when her eyes locked with Paige's intense gaze. Knowing if she stared at Paige any longer she would probably end up kissing her senseless, she broke the staring contest and asked Paige if she wanted to come in.

 _Damn it! The McCullers head dip. No Emily be strong. Just turn around and walk back in._

She led Paige into the living room where Daniel was busy drawing.

"Hey Danny! Look whose come to see you!"

When Daniel looked up from his drawing and saw Paige standing behind Emily, he was momentarily stunned. The very next moment, he was bouncing towards Paige and jumping into her arms, wrapping his arms around her neck.

"Paigey! You came back!"

"I promised you I would, didn't I?"


End file.
